The US Air Force KC-46 tanker remains on track for an initial flight in early 2014, according to Boeing officials. (Boeing)

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DUBAI — The US Air Force KC-46 tanker remains on track for an initial flight in early 2014, according to Boeing officials.

The first tanker “looks like an airplane” said Tim Peters, Boeing’s vice president for mobility, surveillance and engagement, during a Monday briefing at the Dubai Air Show. The wings and body components are joined and systems installation is underway.

The first four Air Force tankers will be out of Boeing’s factory by next summer, Peters said.

“It’s going exceptionally well,” Dennis Muilenburg, the president and CEO of Boeing Defense Space and Security, said during a small briefing Sunday. “The program continues to hit every single milestone. Every major milestone has been met on schedule.”

The first three tankers are under construction AT Boeing’s Everett, Wash., factory. The first two booms are being built in Seattle.

The company plans to fly the first aircraft in early 2014 without the refueling system or other military equipment installed. The mission systems will then get installed in the aircraft and flight testing of the tanker is scheduled for early 2015.